Legends of Evereeve
by Diablo's Heir
Summary: Prologue to a novel I'm going to start. Be brutal with your reviews if you must. I need honest constructive criticism.


Legends of Evereeve

Book One: Origins

Prologue

_In the beginning there were the Elementals; they who shaped the world and gave it life. This world called Evereeve with all is diverse animals and creatures is as old as time itself. The Elementals, being as powerful as they were knew they could never enter the world they created without tearing apart reality and so they each created a being in their own image to represent and govern them. They called these creatures the Avatars. The Avatars had but one instruction from their parents; maintain the balance of power._

_As long as the balance was maintained the Avatars were left to their own devices. The Elementals were proud of their work and as time passed withdrew their presence from Evereeve leaving their children as the ruling body over the world. Now the Avatars grew bored as all children do when they have done everything and decided in unison to bring more life into the world of Evereeve._

_But just creating life was no fun so they turned it into a competition of sorts. Dividing up the world between them the Avatars set out to create the perfect species but in doing so they also became deities. Some of the avatars worked together out of the simple fact of similar ideals while others went off on their own to work. _

_The brothers Freyero, Avatar of Fire and Holthgrim, Avatar of Stone had grudging respect for one another. Each wanted the mountains for their race; the dragons, and the dwarves. They finally came to an agreement that the dwarves would live deep in the mountains and the dragons would use the high tops and outcroppings for their homes._

_The sisters Ghyhera, Avatar of Earth and Moosade, Avatar of the Forest created the life of the forest. They brought most life into the world. Sprites, pixies, fairies, elves, hobbits and gnomes were their creations. Now being of their timid nature the sisters did not trust their siblings and thus this mistrust was placed in their creations that used the forests of Evereeve to hide themselves from the world._

_It is said that the creation of were-beast and vampires came from the unison of Umbranya, the Avatar of Darkness and Eluna, the Avatar representing the moon. Their creatures of the night which preyed upon the unsuspecting soon became feared and misunderstood as was the nature of all things shrouded in darkness._

_Their opposing elements Suka, the avatar of the Sun and Honsew, the avatar of light also formed a pact with one another and created the humans. Humans were born defenders. Always seeking out light and justice in the world they strove to drive back the darkness. Even though they were created to be a species of righteousness; a balance had to be maintained and so there were some humans who fell prey to darkness and ill-intent._

_Undina, the Avatar of Water created the merfolk. These creatures lived in the seas, lakes, and all bodies of the water. Gala'acial, Avatar of Ice created his frost beings in the harsh north-lands far from the eyes of his siblings. The final avatar to create life was Osirion. He was the avatar representing the element of no element. His creations were of his own design, being the orcs, trolls, goblins, and kobolds. By design they wear all villainous by nature, for he enjoyed conflict between the races and conflict kept the balance of the world steady._

_With all manner of life and creation flourishing their world the avatars sat back and watched the world unfold. Millennia passed and conflict arose and fell with good almost always triumphing over evil, but now a new chapter unfolds and it is this chapter where our tale begins._

It was impossible to tell how long the battle had waged, for storm clouds had appeared hours into the fight blocking out the sun. Still the warriors raged on never ceasing their violence. Commanders rallied their troops and charged their foes as steel and iron clashed upon one another. Carrion birds, such as vultures, condors, and crows watched the battle from afar with greed in their eyes knowing that at the end of the day a feast awaited them.

The battlefield was loud with the thunderous crashes of fighting. The sounds of the storm were lost to those who fought beneath it, those who fought for their lives. Three armies of men and women fought with one another. Of the three armies two shared a common enemy and were allied together for victory.

The allied armies armored in azure and white armor drove forwards pushing their foes, clad in obsidian and crimson, back. There was a resounding cry as suddenly many of the allied forces were blown apart and away. On top a nearby hill a figure rode against the storm. A lightning bolt flashed across the sky illuminating the figure to be a man wearing heavy plate armor without a helmet.

His armor was a fearsome sight, being coal black and having dangerous spikes protruding from different portions. Strapped to his back was a jagged bladed halberd sword. Next to the man and in contrast to his dark armor rode a woman. She was armored in a white cloth dress with a hood covering her features. The woman raised her hand and began muttering almost silently in a strange dialect.

Finally she finished and her speech became recognizable. "By the oath sworn into my contract, let no evil befall my master!" she cried out sweeping her right arm in front of her. "Divine judgment!" the woman exclaimed as her hand glowed with bright light and a wave of white energy flowed forth from the ground crashing into the soldiers of the allied armies.

The man drew his weapon and raised it to the sky against the flashing lightning and roaring crash of thunder. "Soldiers of Salthozor, rally to your king!" his voice boomed across the field. The soldiers of King Salthozor hurried to regroup at their king. Salthozor looked to his left at the woman and smirked. "Selena, my familiar; do you hate me for binding you to my soul?" he asked the woman.

She turned to her master and from beneath her hood Salthozor could see her pupiless moonlit eyes gazing at him. "No my master, I do not hate you. I cannot hate you, for you gave me purpose. I would gladly face an army for you and give my life so that you may survive." She answered. Salthozor nodded and reared his horse before charging down the hill with Selena right behind him.

"FOR THE KINGDOM OF SALTHOZOR!" the troops called out when they saw their king charging. They turned to face their foes and began charging as their king entered their ranks. Salthozor drew his weapon with ease narrowing his eyes in anticipation of battle. The halberd sword, which was a combination of both a halberd and a zweihander, was unique to Salthozor as he was the only one with the physical strength to wield the weapon.

It consisted of the handle which was a halberd shaft, half the normal length with a spiked iron ball at the bottom to act as a counter-balance and a giant three-inch thick blade that had a jagged tooth design on one side and was serrated on the other. The serrated edge curved while the jagged edge ran straight down. The blade itself was over four feet in length and combined with the shaft made it a formidable weapon when used from horseback.

Salthozor charged through the enemy ranks delivering swift death with his weapon as he rotated it from side to side. Those who survived an assault were left brutally maimed as they lay bleeding in the mud. Selena blasted foes with magic as the army tried to separate her from Salthozor. Soon Salthozor's army was crashing upon their foes with renewed vigor. They hacked, chopped, and sliced with frenzied strength and speed recklessly abandoning their shields and helms, as their king fought without either item.

Salthozor fought like a mad beast. His armor was splotched with blood and he had dismounted his steed in order to cause massive destruction with his weapon. Salthozor was a sight to behold as he swung his blade with expert precision. The length of the weapon made it perfect for swinging in arcs and full circles to cleave his foes.

Whenever an enemy tried to rush in and exploit his openings they were quickly dealt with by Selena who even though she was surrounded by enemies of her own still never let her master come to any harm. Closing her arms she clasped her hands together in prayer and began chanting. Wings of light burst from her back as her hood was thrown back exposing a raven-haired beauty. Her ears were pointed and prominent like an elf's but her facial features were more human than elfish except for her slanted moon-colored eyes.

"By the oath sworn into my contract and the pact of my soul, no harm shall befall my Master!" she cried out as she began drawing designs in the air in front of her. "Divine Dragon Helix!" Selena exclaimed and suddenly an apparition in the form of a pure white dragon appeared in the sky. The soldiers from all sides looked up in awe, fear, and amazement as the dragon let forth a thunderous roar before breathing a white flame among their ranks.

The flame passed over Salthozor and the enemy soldiers around him leaving the King unscathed but his foes screamed in agony as they were burned alive and their bodies were torn asunder. When the attack completed Selena collapsed against her horse and was quickly swarmed by the enemy soldiers.

Salthozor saw Selena in danger and rushed to aid her but was quickly confronted by two men. One was younger than the other and wielded twin swords and it was easy to tell the swords were custom made for him. They had but one edge and a curved point while the back was straight and dull. The other man Salthozor recognized immediately along with the golden shield and mace he carried. "King Varimanthas Von Wrym the Third." He said darkly while twirling his weapon expertly.

"Salthozor, today we finish this." The king replied. Salthozor smirked but was silent quickly assessing the situation. He knew from experience that of the two of them, he was the better combatant but the new fighter with his strange swords was a mystery. Drawing for time began circling his foes and took up conversation with the stranger.

"You there, what is your name?" he asked the young man. "Masamune, Jorgen Alexander Masamune, son of Jasen Jackson Masamune." The man replied and twirled his weapons advancing slowly. "Your weapons are strange what are they called?" Salthozor asked. "Katana, they're second to none." Jorgen stated smirking.

"We shall see." Salthozor said before rushing both Varian and Jorgen. The king had been expecting the charge and raised his shield immediately catching the brunt of the attack against it as Salthozor's shoulder crashed against him. Jorgen had dove to the side but was quickly on his feet and jumping at Salthozor with his swords.

Thus the furious climatic fighting began. Salthozor block the strikes of Jorgen's katana blades with his armor but he could tell that with each strike the blades cut deeper into his armor and soon would cut clean through. Varimanthas was on the defensive mostly as his hammer required him to be closer than Salthozor's weapon would allow him to get.

Jorgen on the other hand was lightly armored choosing to wear flexible leather and cloth underneath a light mail shirt to give himself the advantage of speed against his heavily armored foe. But even with the heavy armor Salthozor's speed and prowess with his weapon of choice wasn't diminished. Twirling around Salthozor swung his weapon in an arc letting the shaft slide through his hand to the right to the bottom near the iron ball which extended the range exponentially.

Varimanthas had seen Salthozor use this technique before but it still caught him off guard and as a result his shield was lifted awkwardly and shattered upon impact breaking the man's arm as well. Varimanthas fell to the ground hard and clutched his broken arm in agony as he saw Salthozor descend upon him. "Noooo!" Jorgen cried out burying both his blades deep into Salthozor's armor. Salthozor quickly spun around and struck Jorgen with the spiked iron ball at the bottom of the halberd shaft catching the fighter in the shoulder.

There was an audible crack as the shoulder shattered from the attack but Jorgen clenched his teeth and raised his good arm holding his katana with expert dexterity. Salthozor froze momentarily and coughed up a torrent of blood. Turning his head he saw Varian standing up with his hammer raised for another strike. One of the katana which had been stabbed into his armor was now being nailed deeper.

Salthozor blocked the next hammer strike with the flat of his blade and felt the reverberations ring throughout his body and that's when he realized he had made a mistake. He had left himself open to Jorgen who quickly rushed in meaning to impale Salthozor's face on the end of his katana. Suddenly there was a flash of light and in front of Salthozor stood Selena.

She smiled down at her king as the katana blade erupted from her neck. "Selena…" Salthozor said breathlessly. The familiar continued to smile as tears fell down her face. "Master, I kept my promise. I died for you." She said softly. "Why!" Salthozor cried out dropping his weapon as he caught Selena's body. Smiling still Selena raised her hand slowly and cupped Salthozor's face. "Because…you are…my master…" she answered as her body began to fade. "But also…because…I…love you…" she finished as her voice echoed in Salthozor's ear.

The familiar faded from existence and Salthozor rose slowly picking up his halberd sword at the same time. Varian and Jorgen both raised their weapons in anticipation. "You killed her. You killed my precious Selena!" Salthozor exclaimed as a dark blackish red aura appeared around his body. In a flurry of movements the armored fighter appeared behind Jorgen. The young man blinked once and gasped as suddenly blood erupted from multiple lacerations on his body.

The blood continued to fountain outwards until Jorgen dropped to his hands and knees. Turning swiftly Salthozor charged Varian swinging his halberd sword with increased intensity and ferocity. It took all Varian's skill and strength to avoid the strikes and even that taxed his waning strength.

Sweeping low Salthozor caught Varian in the side with the shaft of his weapon knocking the king to the ground and quickly raised it for the kill strike. The strike never came for Salthozor's head rolled off his neck and plopped to the ground followed by his body which slumped to its knees before collapsing. Varian looked up to see Jorgen standing awkwardly while he bled profusely from the jagged wounds across his body before collapsing.

"Jorgen!" Varian cried out rushing over to the man's side. Jorgen's breathing was shallow and ragged as Varian reached his side. "My king…victory…..is…ours…" he choked out before the last breath escaped his body. Varian closed Jorgen's eyes and raised his hammer high. "Salthozor is dead!" he cried out. He repeated the cry over and over until the fighting ceased and the soldiers of Salthozor began to surrender or run away in retreat only to be pursued or shot down by an archer's arrow.

The battle had been won by the allied forces but their casualties had been as great as their enemies. Many families would mourn as mother, fathers, brothers and sisters didn't return to them. The carrion birds which had watched greedily from afar waited until all the survivors had left the field before descending upon the field to feast upon the carcasses left behind.

Many days later after nursing wounds and preparing the bodies for burial the triumphing army returned back to their kingdom to hold a memorial service for the fallen soldiers. The king stood alongside the priest who gave the prayer that the soldiers souls be granted safe passage into the Great Paradise.

After the ceremony King Varimanthas made his way back to his castle passing mourning families with a heavy heart. He had lost many good men in the pursuit of justice. They had toppled the evil empire of Salthozor and now peace could reign throughout the lands. Walking into the kingdom the king saw a woman with dark hair was waiting in the foyer and sighed.

Mikito Homurasu, wife of Salazar and the former queen of his domain stood with her one year old son in her arms. "My king" she called out to Varimanthas. Even from the distance he could hear the steel in her voice. Varimanthas could tell she was angry even though he had spared both her life and the child's. "You haven't forgotten your promise have you?" Mikito stated more than asked. After her husband's death Mikito as the only living member of the royal house had signed the declaration of surrender and forfeited the lands to Varimanthas.

"I haven't forgotten. I already announced that the House of Homurasu shall be granted amnesty and an earldom in exchange for signing a blood oath of non-vengeance. When your son comes of age he will sign the oath as well. Your citizens have been dispersed among my own as a means of unifying the two kingdoms." Varimanthas explained. Mikito nodded and curtsied before the man. "I thank you kindly, my king for the mercy you have shown us." She stated sharply before turning away

"Do you still love him?" Varian asked causing Mikito to freeze. "You may have taken me before, my liege, but that was only after my husband was slain. Know this; you shall never have me again, not while there is breath in my body. I shall never again slander my family's name. If you try to take me I will kill you." Mikito told Varian and locked her dark ebony eyes onto his cerulean ones.

Varian didn't take kindly to threats and pressed Mikito between himself and a nearby suit of armor but felt something sharp poke against his chest. "Make a move, my king." Mikito spat through clenched teeth. Varian backed away and saw that Mikito had pulled a dagger from the folds of her sons carrying sling. "So you will hide behind your son?" Varian asked as anger seeped into his voice.

"I will protect him and he shall be both my sword and shield." Mikito stated keeping her voice even. Varian sneered and turned away from Mikito. "Have a nice day Lady Mikito." Varian said leaving the woman and her child in the foyer.

Mikito sighed and slumped against the wall sliding down as tears sprung to her eyes. "Salthozor." She whispered softly holding her son close to her body. "Grow strong my son for when you are older it shall be your turn to rule." She said to the child kissing his brow. The boy smiled and cooed reaching out to his mother with his arms. Standing up Mikito walked out from the castle and went to the waiting carriage. "Driver, take us to the estate." She commanded. Together with her son Mikito rode off leaving behind a dead husband and an angry king.

A/N: Well this is the prologue to my novel. Give me your thoughts and be as brutal as you wish. Also I won't be updating my stories until I get at least 20 unique voters on my poll.


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